Review: Hidden Figures

How did NASA get a man into space? That’s the question posed in the biographical drama film Hidden Figures. The film follows 3 female African-American mathematicians who worked at NASA and contributed to some of the biggest projects in the agency’s history. The film is directed by Theodore Melfi (who also co-wrote the script with Allison Schroeder) and stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons and Mahershala Ali.

Hidden Figures tells the tale of mathematician Katherine Goble (Henson) who works as a “computer” in the segregated West Area Computers division of Langley Research Centre. She works there alongside Mary Jackson (Monáe) who wishes to become an engineer and Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer) who is vying for the position of supervisor – a job she is already doing unofficially. When the Russians beat them to a successful satellite launch, the pressure mounts on the US Space Program to deliver results. Katherine’s supervisor, Vivian Mitchell (Dunst), moves her to the Space Task Group to assist Al Harrison (Costner) and becomes the first black woman on the team. All three women encounter different obstacles due to their skin colour and gender but show that at the end of the day, intelligence and capability will shine through and prove the doubters wrong.

The film title is apt – Hidden Figures highlights how much work these women (and others) carried out on these missions but were never officially recognised for their work at the time. They are the women behind the successful men on the projects and it’s a fantastic story the filmmakers have brought to light.

The comradery the ladies had is mirrored by the cast also as they picked up the SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The dynamic between the 3 main characters is refreshing – they support each other and are happy for their friends who are succeeding in the industry. Instead of tearing each other down (which women don’t do half as much as some would have you believe), they support and help each other to achieve their goals. Henson, Monáe and Spencer are phenomenal in the roles and are supported by an equally impressive supporting cast.

Kevin Costner plays Al Harrison, Katherine’s new boss, and while it’s a more subdued performance, it’s one that stands out. Al may not be based on one single individual, but is definitely a well rounded character that has an integral role in how Katherine was able to do her job. He didn’t see a black woman; he saw his “computer” who would disappear for an hour or more each day while she went to use the “coloured bathroom”. It was affecting her work, so he did something about it. Man of the moment Mahershala Ali plays Katherine’s love interest and considering some of his previous roles, it’s nice to see his softer side come out. Kirsten Dunst seems to finally be shifting the dumb blonde typecast that has haunted the early days of her career with this role and her outing in Midnight Special, but the biggest surprise was Jim Parsons. Parsons is famed for his role as Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory and while he’s still portraying an intelligent asshole in Hidden Figures, this one is much more tolerable. He may be treading very close to the typecast line but this is at least a step forward.

Hidden Figures is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly and while there have been some major changes to the story, they didn’t shy away from the science aspect of the tale. Even those with science degrees would have struggled to recite some of the derivations and explanations given throughout the film off the top of their head but it added so much more to the story. While some aspects were over explained, it didn’t feel like a dumbed down version for non-scientists and that is one of the most admirable things the filmmakers have achieved in the film.

While it could have been easy to turn this story into one that was just about gender and race discrimination in the workplace, Hidden Figures focuses on the science and the mission(s) at hand that launched NASA and the US Space Program into the lead in the race to the moon. It’s a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the organisations during this critical time in space exploration and we couldn’t recommend it more.

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About The Author

Geek Ireland Talent Manager, Film and TV enthusiast who is a Disnerd in every sense of the word: Animation, Pixar, Live action, Marvel and especially, Lucasfilm lover. Also be warned - don't talk to her before she's had at least 1 cup of tea....for your own safety.